Forcing me to become a concubine? Remarrying the Ninth Prince, she'll be pregnant all over the

Upon hearing that Hua Niansan had spoken up for Shen Huai'an again, the emperor was immediately struck by the news.

He was somewhat relieved, knowing that Hua Niansan had no intention of being biased towards Wei Wujiu, and his doubts were dispelled.

"All you do is speak up for him. What business is it of hiss how I am, his imperial health?"

The emperor snorted: "If he truly had filial piety, he should diligently govern and set an example for others!"

"Your Majesty is right, Your Majesty is right..."

Hua Nianshan said flatteringly, "Your Highness may have been a little too cautious, but this only shows how much Your Highness admires the Emperor. It's a deep father-son bond. Your Highness is concerned that the two young ladies in the harem are pregnant and it's not appropriate for him to continue serving them. The remaining concubines are also getting on in years. It's been a long time since any new women have been added to the harem."

The emperor understood the implied meaning, waved his hand to make Hua Twenty-Three rise, and then helped him slowly walk: "Continue."

Hua Niansan bowed and said, "Your Highness's intention is to help the Emperor find some new concubines. Now that the Emperor is in good health, it is appropriate to expand the harem and continue the imperial lineage."

The topic of offspring was brought up again, and the emperor was somewhat tempted. He said, "It's good that he's so kind, but are these things the Crown Prince's concern? Or is he using this as an excuse to add more concubines to his household?"

"How could that be? His Majesty is just overthinking things."

Hua Twenty-Three smiled and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is truly devoted to the Emperor. As for the candidates, I've heard that they've already been chosen. There are two from the Western Regions, whose looks are exceptional; two from Korea, who are dignified and elegant; and two from Japan..."

"presumptuous!"

He didn't listen to any of it, and the emperor flew into a rage again: "Nonsense! Has Shen Huai'an lost his mind, or gone mad?!"

Hua Niansan was startled and hurriedly kowtowed and knelt down again.

"The Western Regions? Korea? And Japan?" The emperor coughed violently, his face instantly darkening. "Women from foreign lands have always been presented as tribute. Since ancient times, it has been the Crown Prince's turn to personally select and demand women! Where does this place the dignity of our dynasty? Where does it place the grandeur and prestige of our great nation, China!"

Moreover, even if foreign women were sent to the palace as tribute or bestowed upon princes and ministers by the emperor, they would first be sterilized, just like Kunlun slaves, to ensure they could not bear children. Only then could they be treated like playthings and abused at will. They were not even considered concubines, let alone allowed to leave any offspring.

Shen Huai'an brazenly wanted to send women from various foreign countries to the capital to enter the palace, claiming it was to strengthen the emperor's harem and ensure the continuation of his lineage. Was he treating the emperor like a foolish ruler, or was he trying to tarnish the emperor's reputation?

"You wicked child! What are you plotting?" The emperor roared in fury, his voice booming like a thunderclap: "I see he has ill intentions; he deserves to be punished!"

"No, Your Majesty, this servant may have misspoke..."

Hua Twenty-Three tried to make amends, but his attempts only made things worse. The emperor, enraged, gave him no chance and directly ordered, "Hua Twenty-Three! Go and bring that wretched child to me! I want to hear what he has to say for himself!"

Hua Niansan looked panicked, but a sly smile crept across her lips.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. It's all my fault, my fault..." Hua Niansan deliberately delayed going to announce the decree, kneeling on the spot and slapping himself in the face, while out of the corner of his eye he instructed a little eunuch to do something.

The emperor was furious. He looked down and saw Hua Twenty-Three winking at him, which made him even angrier: "What are you doing? Do you really think I'm old and senile, that even you can deceive and play tricks on me?"

"Your Majesty!" Hua Niansan kowtowed again in panic, "Even if I had a hundred lives, I would not dare to deceive Your Majesty. It's just that... I'm clumsy with words and didn't explain His Highness the Crown Prince's meaning well. I even angered the Emperor. At this time, it's not appropriate for Your Majesty to see that folded document."

The emperor's expression darkened. He glanced at the desk and ordered the young eunuch, "Go and fetch the memorial that Eunuch Hua mentioned!"

The young eunuch knew nothing, and he kowtowed blankly, then bowed and walked to the desk, not knowing which one to take.

Hua Ershisan glanced at her furtively, then uttered a few more words of pleading for mercy. Finally, with no other choice, she instructed the little eunuch, "It's the one on the very top."

The young eunuch then found the right one and hurriedly took it, bowing as he presented it.

The emperor, his face flushed with anger and shame, took the book and opened it, but after reading it quickly, his face turned extremely furious!

"Is that really so? Hua Ersan, get up and tell me everything!" The emperor slammed the folding tablet down hard on Hua Ersan's head, making a loud thud.

Hua Ershisan reluctantly picked up the folded document, not daring to straighten up. He presented it with both hands, his voice trembling, and said, "Your Majesty, this servant doesn't know whether this folded document is true or false, but even if my unworthy son Wei Wujiu had the audacity to deceive me, he wouldn't dare to deceive Your Majesty!"

"He and his fiancée, Lin Wantang, investigated the theft of tribute. Following the clues, they arrived at the Dingxian branch of the imperial treasury, where they not only recovered the imperial chests carrying the tribute but also rescued more than twenty innocent women who had been abducted from various places. This is clearly a case within a case, and every clue points to... to His Highness the Crown Prince..."

"His Highness the Crown Prince is devoted to the country, benevolent and righteous, and his sincerity is evident. He is not the kind of person who forms cliques for personal gain and uses kidnapped women to bribe important officials in the court and wealthy merchants and officials in various places. Wei Wujiu suspects that this matter is a trap and that someone is trying to frame His Highness the Crown Prince, so he... arbitrarily executed several important people captured in the imperial garrison."

Hua Ershisan paused, then added, "Your Majesty, it's not that I'm being biased, but Wei Wujiu's actions were rash and hasty. If those important people had entered the capital, it would have been fine if they hadn't tried anything and had confessed honestly. But if they started making baseless accusations, what would have happened to His Highness the Crown Prince's honor and reputation?"

The emperor's face was already grim and he couldn't bear to look at it anymore. His first thought was disbelief. He didn't believe what Wei Wujiu had said in his memorial, nor did he believe that Shen Huai'an had really been framed.

To determine whether it was black or white, the emperor immediately wanted to send everyone away and summon secret agents to investigate thoroughly.

but……

Wei Wujiu and Shen Huai'an had long since become the emperor's trusted right and left arms. He was not old enough to be incapacitated, and he could not loosen his grip on power. Therefore, it was impossible to cut off either of these two arms.

Otherwise, if either Shen Huai'an or Wei Wujiu becomes too powerful without any checks and balances, it is something the emperor does not want to see. Only when they check and balance each other can the emperor rest easy.

In the current case, Wei Wujiu's memorial also confirms the emperor's criteria. According to what Wei Wujiu wrote in his memorial, as long as the emperor does not pursue the matter, it can be considered that Shen Huai'an was framed. Wei Wujiu executed Wang Hu and Liu Yuniang, deliberately letting the clues die. This way, it will not affect Shen Huai'an's honor and reputation, nor will it leave Wei Wujiu with no results in his investigation. It can be considered a win-win situation.